Mark 2:7

2:7 “Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming! ¹  Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Mark 3:9

3:9 Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so the crowd ²  would not press toward him.

Mark 4:6

4:6 When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root, ³  it withered.

Mark 4:22

4:22 For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, ⁴  and nothing concealed except to be brought to light.

Mark 5:36

5:36 But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid; just believe.”

Mark 6:5

6:5 He was not able to do a miracle there, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

Mark 8:14

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

8:14 Now ⁵  they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.

Mark 9:29

9:29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” ⁶ 

Mark 10:18

10:18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? ⁷  No one is good except God alone.

Mark 12:18

Marriage and the Resurrection

12:18 Sadducees ⁸  (who say there is no resurrection) ⁹  also came to him and asked him, ¹⁰ 

Mark 12:21

12:21 The second married her and died without any children, and likewise the third.

Mark 13:7

13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. ¹¹ 

Mark 13:15-16

13:15 The one on the roof ¹²  must not come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. ¹³  13:16 The one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

Mark 13:21

13:21 Then ¹⁴  if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ ¹⁵  or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe him.

Mark 13:30

13:30 I tell you the truth, ¹⁶  this generation ¹⁷  will not pass away until all these things take place.

Mark 14:38

14:38 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

[2:7]  ¹ sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.

[3:9]  ² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:6]  ³ tn Grk “it did not have root.”

[4:22]  ⁴ tn Or “disclosed.”

[8:14]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[9:29]  ⁶ tc Most witnesses, even early and excellent ones (Ì^45vid א² A C D L W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat co), have “and fasting” (καὶ νηστείᾳ, kai nhsteia) after “prayer” here. But this seems to be a motivated reading, due to the early church’s emphasis on fasting (TCGNT 85; cf., e.g., 2 Clem. 16:4; Pol. Phil 7:2; Did. 1:3; 7:4). That the most important witnesses (א* B), as well as a few others (0274 2427 k), lack καὶ νηστείᾳ, when a good reason for the omission is difficult to find, argues strongly for the shorter reading.

[10:18]  ⁷ sn Jesus’ response, Why do you call me good?, was designed to cause the young man to stop and think for a moment about who Jesus really was. The following statement No one is good except God alone seems to point the man in the direction of Jesus’ essential nature and the demands which logically follow on the man for having said it.

[12:18]  ⁸ sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). They also did not believe in resurrection or in angels, an important detail in v. 25. See also Matt 3:7, 16:1-12, 22:23-34; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 4:1, 5:17, 23:6-8.

[12:18]  ⁹ sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.

[12:18]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[13:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”

[13:15]  ¹⁰ sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[13:15]  ¹¹ sn The nature of the judgment coming upon them will be so quick and devastating that one will not have time to come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. It is best just to escape as quickly as possible.

[13:21]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:21]  ¹² tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[13:30]  ¹² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[13:30]  ¹³ sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 26), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.